Pen clamp



Dec. 21 926. 1,611,592

J. KAEFEI'Q PEN CLAMP Filed Oct. 30. 1925 Big 11, 4, s m; 15 John [fag/ GI;

i atenteti Dec. 21, 1926.

' cameo STATES PA Joan Keenan, crime/t tres, orrro, assreivoa or CHE-HALE TO .-won1vrsa, or HAMILTON, 0111a p 1,611,592 TENTJOFF1CE@ en'onen van PEN CLAMP.

Application filed October 30, 1925. Serial No. 65,747.

i The invention relates to clamp devices of the character illustrated in the patent to Van lVormer, No. 1,314,916 of September 2, 1919, and may also be applied to various other formsof clamps, as discretion may dictate. The invention has for an object to improve the structural details of such devices to the end of simplifying manufacture, and facilitating their manipulation in use, as well as adding to the efficiency of the device as a clamp. It is also an important aim of the invention to improve the functioning of the device in conjunction with the flannel and worsted by which ink is fed to the pen devices. A furtherimportant, aim of the invention is to effect clamping of pens efiiciently at the same time that they are held in a manner to be quickly removable and also in such fashion that access of ink to the inner surfaces of the clamp is guarded against and tendency of the ink to spread to surfaces where it is not desired is overcome.

It is an advantage of my invention that, while retaining, the advantages of the best prior devices, I havebeen able toso simplify it that but two main plates, two main shafts, and a means for rocking of one shaft are all that are required to em' body the invention. At the same time, the principal el .HlQHfS are of such character as to be finished by very simple operations. Also, the device may be taken apart very quickly by the removal of a single fastening element, and when the parts are separated, they are few in number and of a character not liable to loss or misplacement easily.

Additional objects, advantages and fea tures of invention reside in the construction, arrangement and combination of parts, as may be more fully understood from the following descriptiori', and the accompanying drawings, wherein -Figure 1 is a left-hand end elevation of a clamp constructed in accordance with my invention showing a pen and worsted in place.

Figure 2 is a similar elevation of the op posite end of the device.

Figure 3 is a front elevation of the left end portion only, of the clamp (from the left of Figure 1).

Figure 1 is a top view of the clamping structure of Figure 3 with the pen and worsted removed.

Figure 5 is a cross sectional view on the line 5-5 of Figure 3.

view of the bottom of one of the. pens sectional View showing. the clamp cam and its operating means.

Figure 11 is an inner face View of the bottom member of the clamp with the cam shaft laid in place thereon.

Figure 12 is a similar viewof the top member. Figure 13 is a fragmentary section showing screws 39, and Figure 14 is a section at right angles to Figure 13, with one of the screws removed.

There is illustrated a clamp comprising bottom and top clamp plates 15 and 16 respectively, which may be of any usual proportions required for such devices. It is an advantage of the construction that the plates may be made of' considerable length without sacrificing rigidity or other features of efficiency essential to such appliances, and both elements are readily adapted to be cast so that little, if any, machining is required for completion in readiness for assembly. Both plates are customarily cast of aluminum, owing to its water repellant properties, and the fact that it prevents the spread of ink from the worsted and flannel. Openings for the hinge pin and notch bearings for the cam shaft, as well as faces on which certain cams bear, may be machined. The plates may'have any customary ears, flanges or other elements various types of machines, the details of which need not be specifically shown, as they are well known. The plates are formed with alined recesses 17 on their inner faces extending throughouttheirlengtlnand stopping short of the ends a short distance. The recesses in each plate stop short of the front edges of the plate a suitable distance to provide a wide bearing, clamping or gripping face 18', between which properly clamped as hereinafter described. A multiplicity of transverse ribs '19 are the connection between the clamping required for mounting in pens may be formed across the recess 17 in the plate 16, one such rib being at each end of the plate, and ribs 20'are formed across the plate 15. In each of the ribs an ear 21 is formed, all the ears on both plates being alined and apertured to receive commonly. a hinge pin having a slotted head at one end and at the other end engaged in a circular nut 23 set in a recess in the end of the plate 16. The ribs of one plate are offset longitudinally from those of the other plate, so that ribs of one plate lie closely adjacent those of the other plate. Theribs 19 of the top plate are all formed with hearing notches 2a in alineinent, adjacent the forward side of the recess 17, the ears 21 being located adjacent the rear side of the recesses 17 in the plates. It should be noted that when the hinge pin is in place the opposed inner faces of the plates may lie in spaced parallel relation sufficient to permit a slight rocking movement of the plates on the hinge pin. The ribs 20 of the bottom plate at the ends opposite the bearing recesses 2d are smoothly linished either with a planiform face parallel to the medial plane of the plate as at 28, or otherwise as found desirable, to allow proper bearing and wiping of cams there against, to be described. At each end of the. bottom plate 1:) the nearest rib 20 is located sligl'itly inward from the end of the plate, and the end portion of the plate is formedwith a cam bearing adapted to lie in the recess 24- of the end rib of the plate ll), and also with a larger recess adapted to receive the ear 21 at the end of theother plate, and in addition, at each end both plates are formed with send-circular re cesses which together receive snugly the nut 23 by which the hinge pin is secured in place.

A rocking cam shaft 26 is provided having reduced parts adapted to set snugly in the,. bearing recesses 25, and provided with eccentric cams 27, all of similar form and with lobe portions similarly arranged radially of the shaft and adapted to bear upon the smoothly finished faces 28 of the ribs 20, so that upon rocking of the shaft the adjacent portions of the plates will be forced apart, causing their front edges or jaw portions to be brought together, as will be understood. The shaft 26 is in the pres ent instance formed with an angular end projected at the-left end of the clamp, 'upon which there is clamped a rocking arm 30, lniving a ball socket formed in the forwardly extending end thereof, in which there is removably clamped the ball-shaped end of a thumbscrew 31 by which the cam shaft is rocked. This screw is threaded in a rigid arm formed integrally on the top plate it and projected longitudinally therefrom a distance, being also offset from the top thereof sulliciently to permit free movement of the rocking arm 30 thereunder. Between the faces 18 of the plate. there is engaged a continuous strip of soft elastic rubber and clamped between this strip and one of the plates are the base portions ill of the pens 35. This base is very thin, rectangular in form, and as broad as convenient for the proper spacing of pens when arrangeo in close relation. The pens may be formed with one or more points or feed arms 36, as indicated in Figures 3 and 8. Customarily, this pen is stamped of sheet metal so as to form the base portion before mentioned, and one. or more integral feed arms 3&3, by which the ink is carried directly to the pape; or other material when the device is in use. The base of each arm tern'iinates in a wider groove or recess 37 in a forward extension of the base plate 34-, and in practice, the worsted 38 is secured at one end closely around the base of the arm 36, and led directly upward and back wardly over the plate 16, upon which it rests, a flannel or other reservoir element being associated with the worsted in such manner as to supply ink in proper quantity thereto.

It is one of the most iniportant features of my invention that the top plate 16 is formed with grooves ell), extending from the back edge or shoulder ll of the. plate forwardly and over the rounded front portion or jaw 42 to within a short distance of the clamping face 18 on the under side of the plate 16. These grooves are formed at right angles to the plate tl'iroughout its length and in such close parallel relation that the side of one intersects the side of the next adjacent groove, to that at any point where a pen may be located in the device, one or more worsted may be led from the arm or arms 36 of the pen and laid in respemive grooves nearly or in'im-ediately in line with the base of the pen arm. The grooves are of such depth and width that the particular worsted thread urcd for feeding the ink to the pen may lie in a groove loosely yet. ex tending slightly above the groove so that flannel laid along the plate it) over the grooves will rest lightly upon the worsted with su'fi icient contact to insure feeding of ink upon the flannel to the worsted by capillary action. It is an important advantage of this arrangement that there will be a much freer flow of ink to the worsted than under ordinary practice, where the worsted is laid upon a flat surface and the flannel super iiosed thereupon. The reason for this is readily understood by those versed in the art. it being well known that the ink can flow between loosely arranged fibers more readily than between closely packed fibers. Consequently, where a flannel rests directly upon a worsted so as to cmnpress or compact the fibers thereof, the weight of the flannel thereby impedes the movement of 'ink through the portion of worsted which is compressed by the flannel. Consequently, transfor of ink from the flannel to the worsted occurs principally, if not entirely, at-ithe extreme front edge of the flannel where the worsted is led therefrom. It will be appreciated that transfer of ink from the extreme edge of the flannel to the worsted cannot occur with such freedom as to supply the full feeding capacity of the worsted as readily as where the contacts throughout the worsted under the flannel is of such a nature that ink may flow freely to and in the worsted after once gaining access thereto. As a conseqi'lencc, with the ordinary worsted used upon my device, there is a noticeable absence of stoppage of machine or faulty work because of failure of ink to flow, and also it is possible to operate the machines at higher speeds with good results.

The plates 15 and 16 are secured directly together, by a resilient connection at their rear parts, this connection consisting .of screws 3!) engaged in alin ed countersunk openings in each plate, and a spring 43 having pairs of opposed screws screwed into its ends, the spring having outturned ends engaged slidably in the sides of the openings through the plates as at in Fi ures 13 and 14-. The springs are moderately heavy so as to draw the plates together with a clamping action on the cams, whereby accidental movement of the cams is guarded against.

By the use of the soft rubber strip 33 between the clamping plates, when the pens are interposed between the rubber strip and one plate, and the plates operated to properly clamp the pens and the strip, the pen bases are embedded in the rubber which becomes fitted closely therearound, so that the space between the plates intermediately of the pen is snugly closed and access of ink thereto prevented. Also, a firm clamping of all pens is assured without requiring an extremely accurate planiform. finish on the faces 18 or uniform thickness in the pen bases; or in case the plates should be slightly sprung by a lack of'uniforn'iity in positioning of the cams or machining of the bearing faces 28 engaged by the cams. Also, in cases where the pens are frequently used in certain positions and occasionally other pens are required to be introduced in other positions, wearing of the clamping faces engaging the pens or of the pen bases will not prevent them from being all securely and tightly clamped at all times. By the use of rubber, unequal thickness in the bases of the pens is also prevented from affecting the security with which the pens are held in the device.

It will be seen that the clamping plates are secured in pivoted relation easily by the for operation'ofthe plate is the cam shaft 'laidbetwe'cn the plates, rotation of whlch effects :theclamping operation or release I claim:

i. In a clamp of the character described, plates pivotally connected medially approxiniately along their longitudinal axes, said plates laving jaw parts at one side of the pivot axis, and cams operative between the plates at the opposite side of the pivot axis from said jaw parts, means to operate the cams, and separate means to draw the plates together upon the cams.

2. As an improved article of manufacture in pen clamps, an elongated top clamping plate constructed for cooperative connection with a bottom member having a pen gripping inner face, and a top face extending into close proximity with said gripping face formed with a multiplicity of closely spaced grooves throughout its length, extending transversely of the plate from closely adjacent said gripping face.

A pen clamping plate for the uses i11- dicated comprising a body of aluminum having a forward lower pen-gripping face, and a feed face extending upwardly from the gripping face and curved rearwardly, a multiplicity of grooves being formed in the feed face extending from closely adjacent the gripping face toward the rear and of a size to receive loosely a worsted or the like.

4-. Apen clamp comprising opposed lower and upper plates having forward pengripping faces, the plates having ears projected therefrom in lapped relation and apertured in alinement, a hinge pin commonly engaged through the ears, a rock shaft having a pluraiity of cam elements thereon, one plate having notch bearings for the shaft, the other plate being recessed to receive the cams and having wiper faces opposed to engage the cams respectively, and means to rock the shaft and holdit in adjusted positions.

5. In a ruling thereover having a groove leading toward the pen, a loose fiber capillary ink feeding member laid in the groove and extended to the pen, and a fibrous body laid across the groove and in a relation to the member in the groove to feed ink thereto by capillary action, but not compacting the member in the groove.

(S. In a clamp of the character described, plates pivotally connected medially approximately along their longitudinal axes, said plates having jaw parts at one side of the pivot axis, cams operative between the plates at the opposite side of the pivot axis from device, a pen, a member ends of .the spring and having heads engu glng the plates under contractlle stress Ofrthe spring. 10

1111 testnnony whereof I uffix my slgna- 'ture.

JOHN :KAEFER. 

